The founders of the viral mini-chain Trump Burger insisted they would continue working to open a new restaurant under that name, even after companies affiliated with the Trump Organization sued over trademark and service mark infringement last week.
Iyad Abuelhawa and Suad Hamedah launched the business as Trump Cafe in 2016 to honor then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. Their brand later became Trump Burger, and by last summer, it had grown to four locations plus a related MAGA Burger, operated by various people. All five restaurants have since rebranded or closed.
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Abuelhawa and Hamedah are named as defendants in the lawsuit, alongside several other figures: Roland Beainy, who became the public face of Trump Burger; Archie Patterson, his former landlord; several business partners and several of their LLCs.
On Wednesday night, Abuelhawa told the Houston Chronicle that “there is no lawsuit from Trump,” even after being presented with the legal filing containing their names.
